Peter loved Kate with all his being, but that didn't mean he'd tolerate an ultimatum from her.
Welcome to another offering for Frisky Friday, where we hope you're getting as excited about the weekend as we are.My submission for this week is from my 5th book, and newest release, Acting Lessons.
He was a strict and demanding college professor turned professional director who excelled at giving acting lessons. She was his shy and uncertain former student who became a professional actress under his tutelage. They fell in love, married, and won two Tony Awards before tragedy struck and a simple kiss ripped them apart.
After a six month separation, Peter Thorton decides to take matters into his own hands by making his famous wife, Kate, an offer she wouldn't refuse. Plainly put, he wants her back and he intends to do whatever is necessary to achieve his goal, even if it means giving his stubborn, willful leading lady a daily reminder over his knee that she promised to obey him.
In this scene, which occurs at the beginning of Chapter Four, Peter Thorton is attempting to get his wife ready for a trip to a college camp ground in upper New York, where they will appear together in a summer stock production of "Kiss Me Kate." Kate has agreed to help Peter teach the drama students who have auditioned and been selected personally by him for the course he is teaching. Kate isn't sure she can trust Peter with her heart again, since she believes he's been unfaithful to her, but she's never stopped loving him. And though Domestic Discipline originally played a part in their marriage, their last two years together had them living like polite strangers sharing the same house. Though things are far from perfect between them now, they are temporarily reconciled with one small problem. After suffering two miscarriages, Kate is afraid to try again. Afraid she'll fail. Peter understands, but because they both want children, he doesn't want her using birth control, either. Unfortunately, Kate doesn't agree.
Later,
when they lay together, sated and happy, he murmured, "I enjoyed that,
though I'm still not sure about the flavor additive. May have to conduct a few more tests before I
decide."
Kate
laughed, mostly with relief mixed with a touch of contrition. The contraceptive sponge she'd purchased was
reported to be safe for her partner during oral sex, but could give off a salty
flavor. So to help cover any difference
as well as ease with the insertion, she used a flavored personal
lubricant. Though she did her best to
destroy all evidence of the sponge packaging, since Peter would not approve, she
suspected she lived on borrowed time before he discovered her guilty
secret. However, the potential risk of
not using anything outweighed her compunctions.
She
got the majority of her packing done last night, all except for the sponges,
since Consuelo insisted on helping her.
That meant she had some serious rearranging to do this morning
Anxious
about getting the 48 boxes secreted in her luggage, so Peter wouldn't find
them, Kate returned upstairs after breakfast and discovered she'd need an extra
suitcase. Realizing she had little
choice, she called William with her request and, of course, Consuelo marched
right up behind him.
Though Kate harbors some guilt about using a contraceptive against Peter's wishes, especially one that he could possibly ingest, she feels he has no right to dictate whether or not she can prevent pregnancyl. However, attempting to keep a secret like that, from a husband who's determined to ensure you take good care of yourself, carries its own risks. And risks incur casualties.
If you're 18 or older, you can read the first three chapters at Acting Lessons
Buy the book directly from Blushing Books
Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoyed this brief excerpt and wish you and yours a very Frisky Friday.
Poor Kate, I can understand her fear of another pregnancy, but Peter is not going to be happy when he finds out!
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Roz